Women of Wheat Harvest: Sharon Klein begins her 39th wheat harvest years ago
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Sharon Klein and husband Don of Tampa have been married 40 years, so Sharon figures she has been driving a grain truck at least 39.
She is experienced in handling the challenges of the harvest season and accepts them as part of life as a farm wife.
Meals for those late-evening dinners are planned one or two weeks ahead of time, with casseroles and other items stored in the freezer for ready preparation.
When harvest arrives, Sharon hauls the wheat to Tampa by truck. A grain wagon takes up the slack between loads when the unloading line at the elevator grows long.
Back at the field, Sharon activates hydraulics on the wagon to dump the load into the truck for another trip to town.
"When we get going good, I have no spare time," she said. "I'm always on the road."
Every morning, she delivers to the elevator the last load harvested the night before. Then she fills the truck with fuel.
Back at home, while Don greases the combine, she fills the fuel tank. They both make a pass around the machine to check for any possible problems.
The couple eats an early lunch, sometimes as early as 10:30 a.m., and heads for the fields for another day of harvest.
When the couple's two children were growing up, they went along with Sharon. Now, the grandchildren sometimes ride along.
Sixteen-year-old Sierra and 13-year-old Dakota live just four miles down the road near Durham, so they frequently visit their grandparents during harvest, sometimes bringing along treats.
The couple's son Kevin of Wichita helps out on weekends during harvest, giving Sharon a much-appreciated break.
Kevin's daughter Kennedy, age 7, likes to ride in the truck and watch the grain run down "the big hole" in the elevator.
Sharon is appreciative of the good help at the local elevators.
"They are so accommodating," she said. "Sometimes I call them late in the evening on my cell phone and say, 'I've got another load. Am I good to come in?'
"Yeah," is the reply. "We're closing, but come on in."
